I have the world's best pediatrician!

I have the world's best pediatrician! Dr. Sun Lee. Other doctors that I've had in the past don't even COMPARE to her. When my kids are sick, she hits it on the head every time with what is ailing them. I've even asked a couple of times about things wrong with me, that my own doctor couldn't even explain, and everytime she nails it. I never have to worry about what is wrong with my kids when I take them in. My 8yr old, was diagnosed by a previous doctor that I had, with impetigo at 8 months, but it just didn't settle with me, plus the medicine's did nothing for the problem. After I changed doctors and got Dr. Lee, and my son had another outbreak, I took him in immediately and without flinching she said, "shingles". Now that was a shock considering how little he was, around the age of 2. She showed me the book and the descriptions about it and then about impetigo and they were obviously two different things. Not to mention, the first doctor originally said when I took my son in, "I THINK it's impetigo?" I THINK!? THEN RESEARCH IT! Dr. Lee explains EVERYTHING and also shows me what, and where and why. I couldn't have asked for a better Dr.

DR. Y is the best in Bakersfield

Dr. Yokoyama is the best primary care in Bakersfield. He will do just about anything to help out his patients. His staff has been together for quite sometime. One of the few Dr. that will take time out of his busy schedule to talk with you and ask you how your family doing.

Thank You Dr Shah!!

Dr Shah is the most amazing doctor. He made me feel so comfortable. I want everyone out there that is going to look into having plastic surgery that they should look no further than Dr Shah. Me and all of my friends have gone to Dr Shah and we ALL love our results. I was truly taken care of through the whole process. THANK YOU DR SHAH!!!!!!!!!!! J

One of the best doctors in town

If you want a kind, intelligent, caring, understanding and patient doctor look no further than Dr. Vipul R. Dev. He made myself and my wife feel very comfortable and welcomed when we went to see him. On top of being a great doctor Dr. Dev is also a great community minded person, he is always willing to help make our community a better place.

The Curse Of Bakersfield's "Reeder Hill"

In the 1850s, a small band of about 20 Yokut Indians lived on a hill that would have been now located between the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail yards and Mercy Hospital. After the flood of 1862, the Indian's food supply had been washed away and they left their village on the hill and moved north to the Tule River Farm. Later, an early pioneer, Bob Gilbert, built a house upon that hill, constructed from cottonwood and willow trees, topped with a tule thatched roof. Lewis Reeder bought the property and house from Gilbert mainly because it was on the fifteen foot high hill, safe from the seasonal flooding of the Kern River.

Along with the home, the Reeder property also included a small, swampy lake. The hill and lake thereafter were known as Reeder Hill and Reeder Lake. The Reeder family began farming the rich topsoil that the river had brought into the Valley during the floods.

Very little is known about Lewis Reeder except he was among the early pioneers who were trying to farm the Kern Island Delta and one of the few who stayed here after the 1862 flood washed away most of the farms.Tragically, after moving into the house on the hill, he and his family became ill and all died in a short while.

After Reeder and his family had passed on, another early pioneer, Allan Rose, built a two story house on the hill and he and his family moved upon Reeder Hill . Most of this family also met untimely deaths in the house and many succeeding souls who lived in the house of doom tragically died.

Within a few years nine people had died while living in that house, seven from unknown causes and two from gun shots. Thereafter, the townspeople all spoke of that place as "The Haunted House On Reeder Hill". Kids of that era told hair raising tales of being chased by "haunts" when passing near the old house after dark and everyone avoided the area through the years thereafter.

In 1890, a lawyer named James Harrington had swindled about 200 local farm owners out of their land. Local citizens demanded the sheriff put the crook in jail. After the culprit was jailed, at 3 AM, October 1st 1890, ten armed, masked, vigilantes broke into the jail, shot Harrington and dragged the wounded man into a waiting buckboard. They drove him to the crest of haunted Reeder Hill. Fear filled the wounded man when he heard he was being taken to Reeder Hill as he assumed they were going to hang him on that haunted knoll but the gang decided to "tar and feather" him. They stripped him of his clothes and shoes, poured crude oil over his body and covered him with chicken feathers. He ran from the scene and survived the ordeal but mended his swindling ways thereafter.

Reeder lake was eventually drained and filled in with earth upon which many residential homes and Jastro Park were built over the years. Haunted Reeder Hill thereafter stood vacant for years, all of Bakersfield shunning it as a cursed, evil, haunted place.

In 1898, the new "Peoples Railroad" (Santa Fe), arrived in town and planned to construct a large freight house just east of their depot. The railroad selected the site of Reeder Hill upon which to build and the work began by grading down the Hill using mules and scrapers to spread the silty soil, using it to level a railroad yard upon which dozens of tracks and a roundhouse would be later built.

To their amazement, as work began leveling Reeder Hill, they discovered it contained an ancient, Native American grave yard. Human skeletons and artifacts such as stone food grinding mortars, implements and arrow heads were found everywhere within the large mound. They discovered the hill had been formed by grave being placed upon grave for countless centuries.

Back in the 50's I worked for the Santa Fe Railroad as a brakeman. When I first began work there a fellow brakeman informed me that on a few occasions he has heard and seen "ghosts" in the area of the old Reeder Hill. This was the first time I had heard of "Reeder Hill" and I was skeptical of my friend's ghost story. As a brakeman, it was my duty to walk the length of my train before leaving the Bakersfield yards making a list of the freight cars. As time went on I also, on a few dismal foggy nights, while inspecting my train in those yards, heard strange sounds like a wind blowing when there was no wind, and the ground rumbling when nothing was around to cause such a noise. When I would mention these experiences to other long time employees they would get a strange expression and I knew they had also witnessed strange things over the years.

Well, the house is gone and the hill is removed but does that strange curse that seemed to prevail on anyone who lived on Reeder Hill, other than a Yokut, still linger in that place. Shades of the movie "Poltergeist", but Bakersfield had the real story 160 years before Hollywood filmed their fictional version. The Santa Fe freight house was long ago removed and the BNSF Railroad employee's parking lot now occupies the spot where the haunted hill once stood so maybe the spirits that once were buried there are now content with no permanent residents upon their resting place.

Copyrighted by George Gilbert Lynch, Sept. 10, 2007

Owens Primary School Launches Box Tops Fundraiser

Owens Primary School has recently launched their 2007-2008 Box Tops for Education fundraising campaign. Motivating the students is Robbie Robot who is built from recycled Box Tops for Education cereal and snack boxes! Box Tops for Education is a school fundraising program started by General Mills in 1996. To date, Box Tops has helped America’s schools raise over $200 million to buy the things they need but can’t always afford, such as library books, school supplies and playground equipment. With box top collections from faithful Bakersfield individuals and businesses, our school has been able to purchase new cafeteria tables and install a new kindergarten playground.

This year the school has set a goal of earning $2,000 through Box Tops toward the purchase an electronic school marquee. It’s very easy to participate in the General Mills Box Tops for Education Program. We earn ten cents for each top. You can find the tops on cereals, Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks, Yoplait Yogurt multipacks, Go-GURT, Lloyd’s Barbeque Buckets, Betty Crocker flour, Kleenex, and many other products.

If you’d like to help the students at Owens Primary School reach their goal to buy their school marquee there are several easy ways to get involved. Collect Box Tops from hundreds of familiar, participating products and send them to Owens Primary School, "Attention Joyce Victor - Box Tops Coordinator" at 815 Potomac Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93307. You may also call Joyce Victor at 631-5420 if you need someone to pick up your collection. Become a Box Tops Booster Club Member by signing up on the Box Tops website at boxtops4education.com. Designate Owens Primary School as the school you wish to support. At the Box Tops website, you’ll learn more about all of the easy ways you can choose to make a difference -- all at no additional cost to you.

The students at Owens Primary hope that everyone in the community will participate by saving box tops and sending them to our school.

Highland vs. Foothill 10/12/07

A GREAT DOC

I would like to say a special thank you to Dr. Vipul R Dev. Dr. Dev is a very compassionate and caring doctor. From the moment you enter his office you are put at ease. He genuinely cares about you and how you are doing. His compassion goes above and beyond that of any doctor I have encountered. I am a breast cancer reconstruction patient of Dr. Dev's and I am forever grateful that I have him as my doctor/surgeon. I'm sure that there are many outstanding doctors in the world and I am blessed to have met one of them. Thank you Dr. Dev.

GREAT DOC

This is in honor of a wonderful and caring doctor. When having to come to the aid of a older neighbor who had no family and was almost dead in his home, I have had the pleasure of being introduced to one of the most wonder doctors in Bakersfield.

Dr. Hector De Jesus - is kind, thorough, "on top of things" but most of all - Listens. Too often I have run into doctors who just rush and don't take the time to listen and doctor Hector is just the opposite. He not only takes care of Jae but genuinely cares about all of us in my family because it affects Jae. He is truly not only a wonderful doctor but a great human being.

Will Iran Be Next?

Local members of The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime! joined others at the Peace Corner (Stockdale Highway at California Street) on October 12 to protest the threatened aggression our country has made towards Iran. We can already see the level of hatred towards Islamics is growing in this country that will help make it easier to attack and kill anyone we accuse of being an Islamo-Fascist. Already we have witnessed attacks on a local mosque, which sheriff's deputies are investigating as a "hate crime." And in just a week's time, college campuses across the country will be split apart by David Horowitz's "Islamo-Fascist Awareness Week." This is a well-designed attempt to instill the flames of hatred and help break down resistance to a possible attack on Iran.

Never in Bakersfield, Never!

In hundreds of cities across the country, video channels are set aside on cable television systems exclusively for local community use. Non-profit organizations, individual citizens, schools, churches, public agencies, and others are using these channels every day to provide needed information, educate learners of all ages, discuss issues, celebrate community, showcase creativity, and share local events with a wider audience.

This is known as PEG (Public, Government, and Educational) Access. The channels and equipment required to develop PEG Access in a community are secured through each city’s required “franchise agreement” (i.e. contract) with their area’s cable company.

In 2003, a Fresno/Clovis Community Needs Assessment clearly identified a demand for local PEG resources in our area. PEG Access has thrived in communities large and small for more than 25 years. But PEG Access does not exist in Fresno and Clovis. Now is the time to make a change for the better. Your help is urgently needed to ensure that these critically important PEG resources become a reality in our community.

On January 1st, 2008, a change in California law will go into effect, requiring cable companies to provide PEG channels and funding at the request of local communities. At this time, the City of Fresno and the City of Clovis are considering whether or not to enact this requirement in their respective franchises. It is imperative that Fresno and Clovis take the necessary steps now to secure PEG channels and funding for our communities.

On Thursday, October 18th at 3pm, the non-profit Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC) will hold a community meeting at Cornerstone Conference Center – 1545 Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno. At the meeting, Cable Franchise Consultant Sue Buske will provide an update on local PEG Access issues. In addition, the CMAC Board of Directors will report on the critical next steps that must be taken before December 31st to secure PEG channels and funding for Fresno and Clovis.

I strongly urge you to join us for this meeting. If you need additional information, please contact CMAC Board Chair Randy Reed at 497-3892 or randall.reed@comcast.net. We also request that you RSVP your attendance by contacting CMAC Board Secretary Roberta Barton at 488-1922 by Wednesday, October 10th.

Thank you very much for your support.

Mike Rhodes
Editor
Community Alliance newspaper
P.O. Box 5077
Fresno Ca 93755
(559) 978-4502 (cell)
(559) 226-3962 (fax)
AllianceEditor@comcast.net
http://www.fresnoalliance.com/home/

Fishing Photo

Trustin Smith age 25 from Bakersfield CA Caught this 9.5 pound catfish in the lower Kern River on September 15,2007 using nightcrawlers for bait.

The Greatest Doc

He looked like Sean Connery in a white lab coat. My Doctor made all of the nurses swoon and was loved by all of his patients. His slight southern drawl and calm, easy going manner always put everyone at ease, even when discussing delicate health matters. Even with his high level of education from some of the country’s best Universities, he always knew how to explain things at a level that everyone would understand and was one of the most modest people you’d ever know.

Now retired, my doctor is still the greatest, but maybe that just because I call him “Dad.” As a daughter of a physician, it wasn’t always easy though. It was impossible to fake sick to stay home from school. And it was pretty tough as an elementary school student to answer the question “What kind of medicine does your father practice?”

The older I got the more I understood what “General Internist” means. I just thought it was cool since I got a lot of free promotional items from drug companies and I loved it when my family got to stay in fancy hotels when we went out of town for medical conferences.

One thing I have learned about families of doctors is that they never actually go to the doctor themselves. Why would you when you have one at home? I will never forget a trip to my pediatrician when she said to me, “Well, you’ve grown about a foot since I’ve last seen you.”

Now that I’m a working adult in the real world, I can appreciate how wonderful a Doctor he really is. My dad didn’t make his patients feel like numbers like my doctors now do me. I can’t recall how many times my family went over to dinner at his patient’s houses. Or how people would always grab me by the arms and tell me how lucky I was to be the daughter of such an extraordinary doctor.

For his work in the Vietnam War, my father received a metal of honor. He would never tell you, even if the subject came up. As a young doctor in the Marines, he must have seen some horrors that few of us can imagine. But in his down time, he didn’t rest. Of course, he’d never tell me the story, but from the letter I found with his metal, he really cared about making a difference to the Vietnamese people. He set up clinics for them to come visit to get needed health care and got other US doctors to help staff it in their down time. For most people this would be a proud achievement and have their award on display. Not my dad. It’s kept under a layer of clean socks in his underwear drawer.

His world-class free medical advice is still just a phone call away for me. Even though I did pick up a lot about health and medicine growing up in my father’s household, I still enjoy asking my dad to explain my friend’s tumor or what dialysis really means for my mother in law. His encyclopedic knowledge of medicine to this day is unbelievable. I can’t imagine not having this trusted resource to ask and to help calm my worries a bit.

My dad’s not the kind of doctor in it for the money with a flashy car or wearing designer labels. His favorite store is Kmart. He values helping others, enjoying nature and nourishing your mind more than anything else.

I’ve been lucky enough that my Doctor Dad has only had to treat me for things like the common cold. Besides a clean bill of health, having a Doctor as a Dad has left a strong impression on my life. It’s not because his occupation, but just an all-around wonderful man. It warms my heart to know that there are hundreds of other people out there that my dad has made a direct impact to their life. To me, he's the greatest Doctor that's ever existed.

With lots of love and kisses

Eugene R. Yeager, 84, was a master sergeant in the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and laid pipeline for soldiers to traverse during the war. He served all over, including in England, France and Japan, according to his wife, Ruby, to whom his love letter was addressed.

Mrs. Yeager said her husband weighed 90 pounds when he came home, but that a steady stream of steaks helped him put on 100 pounds in three months.

*****************************************************

Tues. eve. 27 Feb
Someplace in Eng.

Hello Honey:

How are you tonight? I am getting along just fine. Sure do miss you a lot though. Maybe it won’t be too long until this thing is over and we will be together again for good.

Glad you had a nice trip home. I have received two letters from you since I have been here. I’ll try to answer them tonight.

Honey, where were you going when you wrote? I can smell your letter clear across the room. Smells good though.

I was sure sorry to hear about Glen being killed. But I guess it couldn’t be helped. What does Dad think about it? I thought maybe I would see him over here. I looked through the state look in the Red Cross to see if I knew anybody. I knew a few, but you don’t know them so I won’t mention any names.

I went to London a few days ago, had a real nice time. Oh! These girls over here. I didn’t have much time with the girls, but saw a lot of London. Over here a girl asks how much you screw a week, meaning how much money do you get. She says keep your pecker up, meaning your chin. And another one is ... if you are in town tomorrow come around and knock me up, meaning come around and see me. I was tipped off about all that before I got embarrassed.

Honey, I sure do love you an awful lot, and I guess I always will. You are a pretty good girl. I guess about the best.

Well honey, there isn’t much more to write about. I guess Lt. Meyer has read about enough. He is the censor officer. The one who licks all envelopes.

Goodnight honey.

I love you lots & lots

Lots of love & kisses

Gene

Sam and I Fishing the Killer Kern

Sam and I were fishing on the Kern River just south of the bridge at Johnsondale when we hit the jackpot. We hope this will make it in the paper.

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